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Verbal Assault from Chael Sonnen Continues

If you’ve been following the verbal warfare Chael Sonnen’s launched at Anderson Silva as they head into their tilt next weekend, then you know he’s got a teee-onne of sh-t ready to be dumped on his bed, if he gets bombed out on the 7th. We jumped all over Chael’s ‘what did he say now?’ […]

If you’ve been following the verbal warfare Chael Sonnen’s launched at Anderson Silva as they head into their tilt next weekend, then you know he’s got a teee-onne of sh-t ready to be dumped on his bed, if he gets bombed out on the 7^th. We jumped all over Chael’s ‘what did he say now?’ trash talk when the bout was first made official, but over the last couple of weeks, the tough as nails wrestler has really been pouring it on huh? Sure its damn entertaining, but even some of Sonnen’s biggest supporters must be thinking about the massive humble pie their boys going to have to eat, if he in fact loses.

It seemed like for a few days there (at least from our always clouded perspective) Sonnen’s trash talk had simmered down just a tad, but more recently, things have apparently ‘perked up.’ For example, in the recent UFC teleconference, Sonnen was quoted saying (thanks to ESPN UK for the quotes):

“I’m the toughest guy in the company period, whether it’s Anderson or any other opponent,” stated Sonnen. “There’s never been a guy with earrings that could out-tough me and he’s not going to be the first.”….”You’ve got to understand; I could drag Anderson Silva outside the hotel and beat him up any time I want. I’ve made a commitment to wait until August 7th and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure millions of people watch me do it.”

Wow. A little enraging here, a few laughs there; now that’s how you hype a fight no? To bet on the bout head here.

Report: Phil Baroni “I Want to Matter Again”

Back when your local pub would receive more requests to show bowling than the UFC, the tiny world of MMA was often a buzz about Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni. Not just because of his ‘is this guy serious?’ showmanship, but also because of his ability to violently bounce opponent’s heads with his […]

Back when your local pub would receive more requests to show bowling than the UFC, the tiny world of MMA was often a buzz about Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni. Not just because of his ‘is this guy serious?’ showmanship, but also because of his ability to violently bounce opponent’s heads with his fists. Baroni’s KTFO victory over Dave Menne at UFC 39 remains a highlight reel favorite; not bad for a clip that’s nearly 8 years old.

Of course Baroni’s career has had some ups, and quite a few downs, but a lot of old school fans continue to want to see him throw down. Case in point, the UFC brought Baroni back after he lost by UD to Joe Riggs at a Strikeforce event last June; how often does that happen?

Up next, Baroni was scheduled to fight John Salter at UFC 118 next month, but as bad luck would have it, the NYBA injured his collarbone in training and was forced to drop out. In a revealing interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Baroni not only talked about his financial need to fight, but also, his desire to regain some of the notoriety he once had. Here’s a sample:

“I just want to be a contender. I want respect from my peers, the fans, media and the promotions. I wanted to say, ‘I’m still here, don’t f**king forget about me. I’m not dead yet. I want to be a contender — I want to matter again. I want to be the biggest comeback story ever — a Cinderella Man.”

Alright, the sceptical alarm as to whether that’s possible is sounding, but that’s a pre-req for any comeback story no?

Ryan Couture Signs Multi-Fight Deal with Strikeforce

(photo courtesy Xtreme Couture)
Now depending on where you’re at in this ever shrinking world of ours, you may want to take another sip of that morning java and squint: the above headline reads ‘Ryan’, not ‘Randy’. Yes indeedy, Strikeforce has announced today that it has signed the 27 year-old son of legendary fighter Randy Couture, […]

(photo courtesy Xtreme Couture)

Now depending on where you’re at in this ever shrinking world of ours, you may want to take another sip of that morning java and squint: the above headline reads ‘Ryan’, not ‘Randy’. Yes indeedy, Strikeforce has announced today that it has signed the 27 year-old son of legendary fighter Randy Couture, Ryan, to a “multi-fight agreement.” The lightweight, who naturally (pun intended) trains out of pop’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, will make his pro debut against Lucas Stark (2-4) at Strikeforce’s upcoming August 13^th show in Phoenix.

If you’re only a part-time MMA addict, then you might not really be aware of Ryan’s amateur career to date; the fighter decided to punt his career as a banker in 2006 to begin training in MMA. Since then he’s gone 5-1-1 in amateur competition, with all five of his victories coming way of submission. For some info on Ryan’s ‘doing it for free’ pugilistic endeavours, check out this Fix video from March. Couture made it be known at that juncture, “that if all goes well”, he would be turning pro soon after.

So, there you have it; really it’s a smart move by Strikeforce. When your pa is one of the sport’s most accomplished and beloved fighters, people are going to tune in to see how you fight. In addition, Strikeforce doesn’t have the kind of depth at lightweight that the UFC has, so really, it makes sense for Ryan to test the pro waters there first. Now if Ryan had spent the last decade plus boxing, and could talk some serious sh-t, then you might have seen him making his pro debut in the Octagon.

More Notable Bouts Confirmed for Shark Fights 13 Card

Yes, generally this site is largely dedicated to the punching and kicking of the sport’s larger shows; the Strikeforces, the WECs, the Dreams and of course, the omnipresent / monolithic UFC. Naturally, there is much more to MMA than all this, and if you’re truly a big fan (and have little else to do) you should […]

Yes, generally this site is largely dedicated to the punching and kicking of the sport’s larger shows; the Strikeforces, the WECs, the Dreams and of course, the omnipresent / monolithic UFC. Naturally, there is much more to MMA than all this, and if you’re truly a big fan (and have little else to do) you should be making the most of what the entire MMA menu has to offer. Don’t just limit yourself to two or three dishes on the buffet; gorge yourself with quadruple-‘that guys got a plate in each hand’-style helpings.

While there are plenty of local shows out there that book way too many has-beens, or throw the hometown prospect a tomato can with a .200 winning percentage, Shark Fights is an organization that’s been making some headlines for its upcoming September 11^th card. In case you hadn’t heard, the Texas promotion has already booked several UFC vets for it, as Keith Jardine will face Trevor Prangley and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will take on Houston Alexander. Granted, they’re not MMA landscape altering title fights, but they could be pretty damn entertaining. Former UFC slugger Drew McFedries is also booked to fight Strikefore vet Joey Villasenor, which should be awesome, and Paul Daley is also scheduled to compete (opponent TBA).

Well, according to a report from MMA Junkie today, Shark Fights has announced several more ‘I wouldn’t turn that off’ fights for the Sept. 11^th card, including Dave Herman vs. Aaron Rosa, Pete Spratt vs. Eric Davila, Ronnie Mann vs. Doug Evans, and Karen Darabedyan vs. Marcus Hicks. Brock Larson has also been confirmed (opponent TBA).

Not bad huh? Broadcast plans for the card will be announced next week.

Jake Shields Says Return to Welterweight Was His Decision

It’s been a few days since the UFC confirmed the signing of Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (yes, yes, technically he’s the ‘former’- but really, until blood is spilt over winning the vacated belt why argue?) and it’s probably still too soon to tell, whether the average TUF generation fan even gives a damn about […]

It’s been a few days since the UFC confirmed the signing of Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (yes, yes, technically he’s the ‘former’- but really, until blood is spilt over winning the vacated belt why argue?) and it’s probably still too soon to tell, whether the average TUF generation fan even gives a damn about his upcoming Octagon debut. Of course, Shields has long been a highly regarded fighter in the eyes of MMA nerds and pundits, but there’s a ton of people who’ve never seem the grappling master cruise through an opponent like Dan Henderson (save the first round beat down of course).

As far as the aforementioned hardcore fans, as always, we continue to discuss and debate every last detail of the Shields signing (you could do a lot worse). What, if any, will be the impact on Strikeforce? How will Shields fair in the UFC? And who and why was it determined that Shields should return to the welterweight division? (You may recall that Dana White stated he believed Shields was better suited to compete at 170)

Well, speaking on MMA Weekly Radio recently, Shields had this to say about making his UFC debut as a welterweight.

“They called and asked if I wanted (Martin Kampmann) at 70 and I said sure. They didn’t give me any pressure; they gave me the option. Some people were saying I was forced to go down, which certainly wasn’t the case. They said I could fight at either weight, but they offered me a fight at 70, and I was like I might as well jump and take it.”

Next topic or?

Vladimir Matyushenko Sees Maintaining Pressure as Key to Victory Over Jon Jones

If you’re thinking Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko is going to clean the Octagon floor with Jon Jones this Sunday, you sir / madam, are a rare find (like the lil play there with the nickname? No? Not so much?) In fact if you even think Matyushenko has a decent chance of winning, stating you’re in […]

If you’re thinking Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko is going to clean the Octagon floor with Jon Jones this Sunday, you sir / madam, are a rare find (like the lil play there with the nickname? No? Not so much?) In fact if you even think Matyushenko has a decent chance of winning, stating you’re in the minority, is likely a massive understatement. Evidence? BETUS has Jones at -600 and Matyushenko at +400; yup, if you throw some money down on the Belarussian and he actually wins…you could make out pretty sweet.

Now of course, ‘if he wins’ are the key words here, and although Matyushenko is an accomplished vet who has lost just once since 2003, Jones isn’t one of the sport’s most highly touted prospects without good reason. Just ask Brandon Vera’s doctors as to why. Speaking to MMA Weekly, Matyushenko was asked to outline what he plans on doing, in order to pull off the underdog win:

“I’ve watched his fights and tried to find holes in his game,” said Matyushenko. “But it’s very hard, because he’s very unpredictable. He doesn’t have a particular style where he is consistently doing certain things. There are a few things he does, but he changes from left-hand stance to right-hand stance and just does some crazy stuff. But I think in order to win, I have to keep him backing up, keep the pressure on.”

“Crazy” is definitely one way of putting it. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Matyushenko fairs. Who knows? Maybe the old school warrior will shock the MMA world? Care to wager?